Hawaii

USA: Residents prepare to return to sites of homes demolished in Lahaina wildfire 7 weeks ago

HONOLULU (AP) — From just outside the burn zone in Lahaina, Jes Claydon can see the ruins of the rental home where she lived for 13 years and raised three children. Little remains recognizable beyond the jars of sea glass that stood outside the front door.

On Monday, officials are expected to begin lifting restrictions on entry to the area, and Claydon hopes to collect those jars and any other mementos she might find.

USA: Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly fires

Hawaii  (AP) —In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows -- those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact.

Videos and images analyzed by The Associated Press confirmed those wires were among miles of line that Hawaiian Electric Co. left naked to the weather and often-thick foliage, despite a recent push by utilities in other wildfire- and hurricane-prone areas to cover up their lines or bury them.

USA: Hawaii’s cherished notion of family, the ‘ohana, endures in tragedy’s aftermath

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Families were torn asunder. A community is reeling with grief. More than 100 people have perished and hundreds more remain missing after flames and smoke barreled from the hills and annihilated the historic town of Lahaina.

But even in places overwhelmed by despair and devastation, the Hawaiian spirit known as ‘ohana endures.

USA: Maui has released the names of 388 people still missing after deadly wildfire

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Maui County released the names of 388 people still missing Thursday more than two weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, and officials asked anyone who knows a person on the list to be safe to contact authorities.

The FBI compiled the list of names. The number of confirmed dead after fires on Maui that destroyed the historic seaside community of Lahaina stands at 115, a number the county said is expected to rise.

USA: In Maui, Biden sees 'long road' ahead in recovering from deadly wildfires

LAHAINA, Hawaii, Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday praised the "remarkable resiliency" of the people of Maui, after wildfires killed more than 114 people on the Hawaiian island two weeks ago, and said America would stand by them for as long as it takes.

“We’re focused on what’s next. That’s rebuilding for the long term …and doing it together,” said Biden, visibly moved after a tour of the blackened city of Lahaina. He added he would make sure “your voices are heard” and local traditions and wishes were respected.

USA: Biden says federal government will help Maui ‘for as long as it takes’ to recover from wildfire

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday told survivors of Hawaii’s wildfires that the nation “grieves with you” and promised that the federal government will help “for as long as it takes” Maui to recover from damage caused by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

Biden arrived in Maui 13 days after fire ravaged the western part of the island, killing at least 115 people. Standing near a severely burned 150-year-old banyan tree, the president acknowledged the “overwhelming” devastation but said that Maui would persevere through the tragedy.

USA: Biden to reassure Lahaina residents they will control rebuilding

KIHEI, Hawaii, Aug 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell said on Sunday that President Joe Biden will reassure the people of Lahaina that they will be in control of how they rebuild when he visits the razed Maui community on Monday.

The president along with the first lady plan to visit the historic Hawaiian town and meet with first responders, local officials and victims and get a firsthand look at the widespread devastation, Criswell said on CNN's "State Of The Union" show.

USA: Hawaii wildfire victims targeted by developers, scammers amid disaster

HONOLULU, the United States, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- As rescue workers continue looking for those missing in the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, real estate investors, mostly from the American mainland, have seen an opportunity to cash in on the disaster for land development, triggering anger among local Native Hawaiians.

The wildfires that broke out last Tuesday and razed Maui have left 106 people dead and more than 1,000 people missing as of Tuesday, becoming the deadliest in the United States in over a century.

USA: Number of dead from Maui wildfires reaches 99, as governor warns there could be scores more

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The number of deaths caused by the Maui wildfires stood at 99 Monday, a figure that is likely to increase as search crews comb neighborhoods where flames moved as fast as a mile a minute.

The blazes that consumed most of the historic town of Lahaina are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The cause was under investigation.

USA: Hawaii’s governor warns that scores more people could be found dead following wildfires on Maui

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii’s governor warned that scores more people could be found dead following ferocious wildfires on Maui, as search and rescue crews scoured neighborhoods street by street and prepared to comb through buildings charred by flames that galloped a mile a minute.

The blazes, which consumed most of the historic town of Lahaina, are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, with a toll of 96. Two fires have not yet been completely contained, according to an update from Maui County late Sunday.

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